Its central character is Jenny Cloud, formerly Jennifer Anne Clodfelter from Blue Ridge, Ga. Nashville wisdom holds that it takes nine years to become an overnight sensation, but Jenny hits No. 1 on the Billboard charts within 20 pages or so.

But do fame, fortune, a monster tour bus and a mansion in Nashville's Brentwood section (not too far from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) bring her happiness? Of course not. After a headline-making breakup with "bad-boy" country star Holt Cantrell, Jenny's at the end of her rope.

Worse, the songwriting and hit-making are starting to kill her. Jenny's specialty is the hurtin' song, with tales dredged from her painful childhood (drunken, abusive dad, etc. etc.). Singing tunes like "Honky-Tonk Tomcat" or "Daddy, Don't Come Home" doesn't exorcise her demons, it just brings them out to play. Every concert, she's just one step from a breakdown.

Some relief comes, however, when Jenny's manager links her up with Tonilynn, a blonde, tattooed motormouth of a hairdresser. Like most beauticians, Tonilynn's a natural therapist, who listens when Jenny talks. If only she wouldn't keep spouting Jesus talk all the time … .

Tomilynn also introduces Jenny to her colorful family, including Aunt Gomer, an aw-shucks mountain lady who's a genius at cooking and gardening, and to Tomilynn's son, Bobby Lee, a musky good ol' boy who's been confined to a wheelchair since his motorcycle accident.

Will Jenny try to escape her demons by turning her back on her "twangy" past and trying to be more upbeat, more contemporary, more Taylor Swift? Or will she listen to Tomilynn about Christ's forgiveness?

Alert readers, by this point, will have noticed the imprint – Abingdon Press, the official publishing house of the United Methodist Church. Like a number of other religious publishers, such as Thomas Nelson or Zondervan, Abingdon has been branching into the inspirational fiction market in recent years.

It would be pleasant to report that "Twang" is a masterpiece, especially since Cannon died unexpectedly last month at the age of 50. Unfortunately, this is a novel that preaches to the choir.

"Twang" leaves few Music City cliches unturned. Most of the plot developments are as easy to see coming as Nashville's twin-towered AT&T Building (known as "the Batman Building" to locals), which serves as the backdrop for some of the action.

Cannon's efforts to deal fictionally with the Pain Problem ("Why does God let bad things happen to good people?") probably won't satisfy anyone who isn't already a believer, and the climax, set against the 2010 floods that devastated much of Nashville, is far less dramatic than Cannon had apparently intended.

Fans looking for country-music fiction would do better by seeking out "The Devil's Dream" by Lee Smith or "Heart of the Country" by Bland Simpson.

<p>The Nashville country music scene is the setting for "Twang," an inspirational novel from Georgia novelist Julie L. Cannon ("Truelove and Homegrown Tomatoes," "The Romance Readers' Book Club").</p><p>Its central character is Jenny Cloud, formerly Jennifer Anne Clodfelter from Blue Ridge, Ga. Nashville wisdom holds that it takes nine years to become an overnight sensation, but Jenny hits No. 1 on the Billboard charts within 20 pages or so.</p><p>But do fame, fortune, a monster tour bus and a mansion in Nashville's Brentwood section (not too far from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) bring her happiness? Of course not. After a headline-making breakup with "bad-boy" country star Holt Cantrell, Jenny's at the end of her rope.</p><p>Worse, the songwriting and hit-making are starting to kill her. Jenny's specialty is the hurtin' song, with tales dredged from her painful childhood (drunken, abusive dad, etc. etc.). Singing tunes like "Honky-Tonk Tomcat" or "Daddy, Don't Come Home" doesn't exorcise her demons, it just brings them out to play. Every concert, she's just one step from a breakdown.</p><p>Some relief comes, however, when Jenny's manager links her up with Tonilynn, a blonde, tattooed motormouth of a hairdresser. Like most beauticians, Tonilynn's a natural therapist, who listens when Jenny talks. If only she wouldn't keep spouting Jesus talk all the time … .</p><p>Tomilynn also introduces Jenny to her colorful family, including Aunt Gomer, an aw-shucks mountain lady who's a genius at cooking and gardening, and to Tomilynn's son, Bobby Lee, a musky good ol' boy who's been confined to a wheelchair since his motorcycle accident.</p><p>Will Jenny try to escape her demons by turning her back on her "twangy" past and trying to be more upbeat, more contemporary, more Taylor Swift? Or will she listen to Tomilynn about Christ's forgiveness?</p><p>Alert readers, by this point, will have noticed the imprint – Abingdon Press, the official publishing house of the United Methodist Church. Like a number of other religious publishers, such as Thomas Nelson or Zondervan, Abingdon has been branching into the inspirational fiction market in recent years.</p><p>It would be pleasant to report that "Twang" is a masterpiece, especially since Cannon died unexpectedly last month at the age of 50. Unfortunately, this is a novel that preaches to the choir.</p><p>"Twang" leaves few Music City cliches unturned. Most of the plot developments are as easy to see coming as Nashville's twin-towered AT&T Building (known as "the Batman Building" to locals), which serves as the backdrop for some of the action. </p><p>Cannon's efforts to deal fictionally with the Pain Problem ("Why does God let bad things happen to good people?") probably won't satisfy anyone who isn't already a believer, and the climax, set against the 2010 floods that devastated much of Nashville, is far less dramatic than Cannon had apparently intended.</p><p>Fans looking for country-music fiction would do better by seeking out "The Devil's Dream" by Lee Smith or "Heart of the Country" by Bland Simpson.</p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic14"><b>Ben Steelman</b></a>: 343-2208</p>